Do you guys think that going to SJSU is a more reasonable option? I mean, I know someone said I can’t afford it, but considering that the total is way less than the UCs, it’s will be a total loan for my parents of $15,000-$20,000 per year. I know it’s still a lot but it might be more realistic? You need to understand me. I can’t stay in Puerto Rico with the financial crisis we are encountering. They are closing down universities here I cannot stay!!!
SJSU is about $40,000 per year for out-of-state students, which will be too much to borrow if your parents are low to moderate income.
Are your parents moving out of Puerto Rico to one of the US states? If so, and they move and establish residency in a state where in-state public financial aid is good (and, as a bonus, in-state public medical schools are inexpensive), then you may be able to attend college (and medical school if you get in) at a much more realistic cost, but you may have to take a gap year (working, preferably in a health care context) during the waiting period before they become residents of the new state to make you eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid.
But check if the full ride scholarships at the schools listed in reply #56 are still available.
What are your SAT and GPA? Maybe we can help find an affordable school.
If your parents could move to Nevada, you may be able to get residency after a year. It looks like tuition to their state schools is ~$8k/year. I think you’d be able to pay that with a Pell Grant and summer job.
The parents can’t move without job prospects.
Look, if you get a roughly 6k Pell, a $5500 Student Loan, your mom can kick in 5k and earn you earn 5k between now and the day the first college payment is due, that totals about $20k. That’s your budget. And it’s before additional expenses like plane flights or personal goods or fun.
And then, between Fall 2018 and Fall 2019, you need to earn money for the next college year. It’s a never ending whirlpool. A campus job pays a few thousand (if you get one, which depends on the college.) It allows flexibility when, eg, exams are looming. An off campus job means getting there and doing what they expect. Depending on the town, it may be tough to find and tough to even get to work.
You’d like to ask parents, who earn 50k (minus taxes and expenses,) to take a 20-30k loan? You have to do the math. How are they supposed to pay it back on that income? If it’s an outside loan, payments start due almost immediately. I’m not sure you uderstand the serious implications of loans.
Even with a Parent Plus loan (also govt sponsored) a 20k freshman and soph years means after your 2nd year, they’d be paying about $500/month, maybe more- and that’s assuming they qualify. That’s 6k/year, on a 50k income (before taxes.) Meanwhile, you’re only half way through school. By the end of 4 years, they could be paying1k/mo or 12k annually.
And you can’t pay for them, if you think you’re headed for med school. You won’t have an income, certainly not a doctor’s income, for 4-6+ more years. And then, you’ll be paying back your hefty med school loans.
Please try to become informed about loans. Play with the numbers, see the reality.
Sure–
Amigo Scholarship
Scholarship is good for 8 semester so long as the student maintains a 3.0 GPA.
We get that you can’t stay in Puerto Rico.
People here are offering you a number of viable alternatives.
You appear to not want to hear anything that isn’t in California. You appear to be hell-bent on a California public.
You applied to a number of schools in the northern part of California. You will have to add to your clothing budget because that part of California can be rainy, cold and foggy. This past week, that part of the state has had lots of cold rain.
SJSU will be an expensive public school for you, which is in a very expensive community, which you cannot afford.
Why are you so insistent on an expensive California public?
There is very limited funding for our URMs in med school and professional school. Why would you choose to spend all your dollars at an uber competitive California public? Save it for med school.
What are your stats? We can try to find a good school for you in the states that is affordable.
How low is your SAT?
U of New Mexico is still accepting applications for fall of 2018, and will continue to award Amigo scholarships as long as there are funds remaining. The application takes 10 minutes, max.
Talk with your parents. With the problems in Portorico, are they considering moving? If so, good states wrt to jobs AND university costs include Florida and Texas; Utah and Missouri are easy to get instate tuition at and New Mexico has an ideal combination of good weather, scholarships, and medical volunteering opportunities.
If your parents become residents in New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, you’d qualify for WUE, ie., reduced tuition in some California colleges. It may not be enough but it’s another possibility.
SJSU’s problem is housing: you need to plan 20k just for living expenses, on top of OOS tuition.
If you must leave PR without your parents, your best bets are NM and Utah in my opinion.
deleted
Can someone please tell me how PARENT PLUS LOANS work? I understand my parents are supposed to take it, but when do they start repaying it? Someone please enlighten me regarding loans.
The reason why I really wanted to study in California was because it resembles home. It’s warm, diverse, liberal, and I really thought that state would be a way for me to develop myself further. It is also next to the state of Nevada, where my brother lives, so I thought it would be really convenient to have him close. Also, the colleges I chose are absolutely beautiful and they are well know for investigating, which is something I really want to do during my college years. Over all, I thought the University of California was the best option for me, but I guess not because I don’t have money to afford it. My SAT superscored is 1190, I have a 4.0 GPA (don’t know if it’s weighed or not), I am a second generation going to college, trying to leave Puerto Rico because colleges keep closing down, could’ve gone to Florida where my sister lives but she said Florida has way too many puertoricans now after hurricane Maria and the government isn’t giving them much help, checked other universities but no others caught my attention as much as those ones, so I decided to only apply to those, because through them I would be able to get California residency eventually, which apparently (NOW) won’t happen. My dad is retired and my mom has a stable job so they will not move out of Puerto Rico.
Gov. Cuomo was planning to give instate tuition at SUNY/CUNY to students transferring here from Puerto Rico. I am not sure if this actually happened, or if it includes new students …but it is certainly worth investigating. You can live on campus at a SUNY school for about $20,000 a year if you spend wisely. The winters will be harsh but you will get a solid education.
The 4 universities cost a little more more money. Take a look at the smaller colleges… Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Brockport, Oswego, Fredonia. I don’t know when the application deadline is but I do know that some of these schools also give decent scholarships. I know current students at some of these schools who received very large merit awards.
Parents aren’t “supposed to” take Parent plus loans. Most parents will not do this. It’s too much of a risk for them. Have your parents said that they will take on huge loans for you?
Are your parents separated or divorced?? You mentioned that you only put your mom’s income on FAFSA. If your parents are separated or divorced, i doubt that one of them is going to want to put their name/liability on a plus loan since their incomes are modest.
Going to Calif as an OOS premed is a horrible idea. This is something that I know a lot about. If you want details, I’ll provide them.
Also…with a 1190 superscored new SAT, it’s very unlikely you’re going to end up with an MCAT that is med school worthy. The SAT/ACT is a pretty good predictor of future MCAT scores.
The reasons for not going to a Florida school, where perhaps you could live with your sister, are silly. Calif isn’t giving you any aid either, so how is it better than Florida???
Look into Florida universities still accepting applications - would your sister accept your living at her home and is there a University you can commute to for free?
Same thing for Nevada- does your brother live near a university?
Do you have family that can house you while you go to college beside your brother and sister?
(California would be VERY different from Puerto Rico - 2/3 of it are very cool and rainy. But you know what? You CAN move to California, just a bit later than planned - Once you’re on the mainland, get your degree and move to California for a job. I agree that getting a degree from the mainland will likely make that easier, and a degree from UNR may make that easier. )
There’s a big thread about parent PLUS loans on the financial aid forum.
But please don’t do that to them. Especially since your dad is retired. They could end up losing even more than they already have.
New Mexico is close enough to Nevada. Please…take some time to consider that. You qualify for the Amigo award, and that would leave you with about $18,000 to fund. You have the Pell, Direct Loan, and $5000 from your parent. That would leave you with less than $3000 to find yourself.
With your SAT score…this is likely your best bet financially.
This might be doable…with a job…
University of New Mexico has a fine undergrad school…and if you were accepted…a fine medical school. If they are still taking applications for fall…apply ASAP.
You say CA reminds you of your home…but CA is a HUGE state…and the whole place doesn’t even have the same climate as PR. It doesn’t.
And think of this part too…the cost of living in most of CA is VERY high…VERY. As an example, we would live to move there when we retire but it’s not affordable for us.
New Mexico, OTOH, has a more affordable cost of living in many places (not Taos or Santa Fe), and you probably could afford the costs to live there.
@WayOutWestMom would be a better one to talk about the costs in NM than me. Also, she can tell you if UNM gives any preference to its undergrads when they apply to medical school.
And lastly…the very last place I would suggest you move if you think it will help with medical school applications is…California. From what I understand, they have a huge number of medical school applicants, and it’s THE most competitive state for admissions.
Re: Plus Loans …as noted far upstream, financial aid for medical schools is VERY rare and limited. The majority of students are full pay…and use loans. You don’t want a nickel of private undergrad loans, or Plus Loans for undergrad…because you WILL have loans for medical school. Lots of them.
@WayOutWes@WayOutWestMom as UNM offers merit scholarships to both spring and fall – and also to OOS. My daughter received an Amigo scholarship from UNM for engineering. That scholarship waives all out of state costs and the remaining tuition is $7k a year! Cost of living is low in Albuquerque. Also UNM has a good medical school.
@Volatyl consider University of New Mexico at Albuquerque. They give great financial and merit aid to OOS students. They have a good pre-med program b/c they have a good medical school. This may be your option to just stay here and finish!
ETA – sorry I see the stats now.
@Volatyl every reason you say you want California, UNM has. ASU also offers great OOS scholarships, but is likely less welcoming to latinos from outside the state. Why not consider New Mexico?
You posted (sorry I don’t know how to quote): “The reason why I really wanted to study in California was because it resembles home. It’s warm, diverse, liberal, and I really thought that state would be a way for me to develop myself further. It is also next to the state of Nevada, where my brother lives, so I thought it would be really convenient to have him close. Also, the colleges I chose are absolutely beautiful and they are well know for investigating, which is something I really want to do during my college years. Over all, I thought the University of California was the best option for me, but I guess not because I don’t have money to afford it. My SAT superscored is 1190, I have a 4.0 GPA (don’t know if it’s weighed or not), I am a second generation going to college, trying to leave Puerto Rico because colleges keep closing down, could’ve gone to Florida where my sister lives but she said Florida has way too many puertoricans now after hurricane Maria and the government isn’t giving them much help, checked other universities but no others caught my attention as much as those ones, so I decided to only apply to those, because through them I would be able to get California residency eventually, which apparently (NOW) won’t happen. My dad is retired and my mom has a stable job so they will not move out of Puerto Rico.”
Do we know her stats?
I agree with New Mexico. I think OP might have a fantasy impression of California. Also the Florida options.
I’m sorry that you are in a difficult situation OP. Puerto Rico is a beautiful place. But you do not want to consider Parent Plus loans. That is a horrible idea. If you are serious about medical school, you would not take on unnecessary debt for UG. You need the bed grades at the lowest cost.